How many coal mines are operating in Alberta?

Three export coal mines were operating in October 2026: Vista (thermal, near Hinton), Coal Valley (thermal) and Grande Cache (metallurgical), plus the tiny Dodds heating-coal mine. Summit Mine 14 and Grassy Mountain are in permitting.

Can new coal mines open on Alberta's Eastern Slopes?

The December 2024 Coal Industry Modernization Initiative bans new open-pit mines and mountaintop removal on the Eastern Slopes and signals higher royalties for new mines. Only underground or highwall designs on existing leases are realistic.

INTERACTIVE MAP · PUBLIC DATA

Alberta coal mines map

Coal mine permit boundaries from Alberta Energy, the 1976 Coal Development Policy categories that still decide where Eastern Slopes mining can happen, Crown coal leases, and the Atlas inventory of operating, closed and proposed mines.

Three export mines operate today (Vista, Coal Valley and Grande Cache). Plains subbituminous mining ended with the coal-power phase-out in 2024, and new Crown coal leases have not been accepted since February 2025.

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QUESTIONS THIS MAP ANSWERS

Frequently asked

How many coal mines are operating in Alberta?: Three export coal mines were operating in October 2026: Vista (thermal, near Hinton), Coal Valley (thermal) and Grande Cache (metallurgical), plus the tiny Dodds heating-coal mine. Summit Mine 14 and Grassy Mountain are in permitting. More
Can new coal mines open on Alberta's Eastern Slopes?: The December 2024 Coal Industry Modernization Initiative bans new open-pit mines and mountaintop removal on the Eastern Slopes and signals higher royalties for new mines. Only underground or highwall designs on existing leases are realistic. More

DATA BEHIND THIS MAP (4)

Official sources

Coal mine boundaries (Alberta Energy)Alberta Energy and Minerals · Coal · drawableWhere coal has been or is being mined; coal-zone geology itself is published in AGS reports, not as a service.
Coal Development Policy (1976) categories 1–4Government of Alberta · Coal · drawableCategory 1 = no exploration; Category 2 = no open pit. The decisive constraint for metallurgical coal.
Coal agreementsAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mineral tenure · drawableExisting coal rights are the only route to a new mine under the Coal Industry Modernization Initiative.
Eastern Slopes land-use zones, Green/White area, treaty boundariesAlberta Energy and Minerals · Land constraints · drawablePolicy geography that decides coal, phosphate and limestone access in the Foothills.

COMMODITY PROFILES

Reserves, value and feasibility

Metallurgical (coking) coal Thermal coal Coalbed methane

Operations on this map

Vista (Phase I + Phase II)Coal mine · Coalspur Mines (Bighorn / Cline Group)Operating
Coal Valley (Pit 26)Coal mine · Prairie Mines & Royalty (Westmoreland)Operating
Grande Cache (No. 8 Mine)Coal mine · CST Canada CoalOperating
Summit Mine 14 (underground)Coal mine · Summit Coal (Valory Resources)Permitting
Dodds Coal Mine (Ryley)Coal mine · Dodds Coal MiningOperating
GeneseeCoal mine · Westmoreland / Capital PowerClosed (recent)
HighvaleCoal mine · TransAltaClosed (recent)
Sheerness (humalite)Coal mine · WestmorelandOperating

Related maps

Alberta mineral rights and claims map